CHS Today
These spots offer a space to clear your mind and escape the noise of Charleston’s summertime business.
A Public Park Designed and Cared for in a Way that is Reminiscent of the Very Best of Private Gardens
Jennifer Jewell - ‘Cultivating Place’
May, 2022
Theodora Park is a public park in Charleston, SC - designed and cared for (with financial and care planning for the long haul) in a way that is reminiscent of the very best of private gardens: it is open, it is both lively and tranquil, it is filled with beautiful seasonal (native and non-native) plants, it offers places to sit, to play, to splash as well as to gather; it offers artful views representative of and inviting for the entire community - residents and visitors alike - human and more-than-human alike.
A Gallery in a Park →
Post and Courier
A poignant and fitting community gesture takes the form of an outdoor exhibition in Theodora Park. The public oasis south of Gaillard Center has become a gathering place for Gaillard staff and Spoleto Staff and artists, along with Charleston residents and visitors.
The driving force behind both Theodora Park and the temporary exhibition is David Rawle, a nearby resident who dreamed up the transformation of the space, which is about two-fifths of an acre, tirelessly raising the funds to help create it and maintain it.
When we sat on a bench there, Rawle and I observed other glimmers of the festival to come, as musicians with instruments in twos passed by on their way to rehearsal. Rawle explained how he had conceived of the exhibition, titled “Celebrating Geoff Nuttall: An Exhibition of Photographs by William Struhs,” as a way to pay tribute to Geoff Nuttall, Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director of Chamber Music of Spoleto Festival USA, who died this past year at the age of 56 of pancreatic cancer.
A charismatic, beloved force of the festival, Nuttall was a twinkle-eyed, jocular proof of the perennial power of chamber music, drolly demystifying it with each performance, while at the same time hewing to the highest standard of artistic excellence.
For the exhibition, Rawle worked with the festival to devise eight large-scale rpints of photography by Charleston-based photographer William Struhs. The works, which will be lit at night, capture the palpable joy that Nuttall and his merry musicians delivered day after day, year after year, at the Dock St. Theater.
Theodora Park and Spoleto Festival USA Celebrate Geoff Nuttall →
Theodora Park has joined Spoleto Festival USA in honoring Geoff Nuttall (1965-2022), the Festival’s very popular Director of Chamber Music. Theodora Park will present an exhibition of eight large William Struhs photographs of Nuttall throughout the entire May 26- June10 Festival. Click the story title to read the story and interview that appeared in the Spoleto Festival USA blog.
Popular Podcast Features Theodora Park →
Garden advocate, educator, and author Jennifer Jewell’s popular podcast ‘Cultivating Place’ devoted its entire pre-Mother’s Day program to Theodora Park. Calling it “a public park designed and cared for in a way that is reminiscent of the very best of private gardens,” Jennifer Jewell explores the story of the park, how it looks, and – most importantly – how it lives. Click here to go to podcast.
Mystery Photo →
Charleston Currents
Our previous Mystery Photo “Good Tidings'“
Our Dec. 21 photo, “Good tidings,” was a photo by Leigh Webber that Charleston’s David Rawle sent along to show the holiday spirit at Theodora Park, a pocket park in Charleston at the corner of Anson and George streets. In addition to laser lights on park pathways, words of inspiration and hope were projected on the park’s walls and trees.
Hats off to the few sleuths who correctly identified the photo: Jim McMahan of Charleston; Margaret Grant of West Ashley; Liz Rennie of North Charleston; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Graf added, “Theodora Park was David Rawle’s vision. Every detail of this lovely space has benefited from his caring and gifted guidance. Theodora Park has been created through the collaboration of outstanding designers and artists, the City of Charleston, Charleston Parks Conservancy, and the truly generous support of many individuals, including the family of Theodora C. Rawle, whom the park so appropriately honors.”
Peel added the park’s design was inspired by New York’s Paley Park, but “to add some local flair to the park, it includes a wrought-iron gate designed and made by Charleston artisan and blacksmith Philip Simmons.”
Over the Holidays in Charleston, Let There Be Light
The Post and Courier
Ah, the sheer splendor of holiday lights. Their innocent glow has long evoked the magic of the season, twinkling from trees and amping up curbsides with wondrous wattage.
This year, light displays possess even more fantastical power, shining from afar with a luminosity often best seen 6 feet away by stroll or drive.
The newcomer luminary most resonant with this hunkered-down holiday is the series of projections now lighting up the petite, tranquil Theodora Park that opened in 2015, the result of a collaboration of donors, artists, designers and builders, the City of Charleston and Charleston Parks Conservancy.
Community member David Rawle drove both the funding and the vision for the initiative, which is named after his mother Theodora. He was also responsible for the new light display, a two-minute cycle of projected uplifting words and messages that at present transform the park’s components and its surrounding surfaces.
“Everything was intentional,” said Rawle, noting that the projecting on places like tree trunks and building tops required theatrical lighting design, which was created by Rhys Williams at Work Light Productions. Even the font, Universe Bold, was deeply considered to be accessible and non-institutional. According to Rawle, the goal was to affirm the sense of hope that he feels is within all humans.
In it, glowing words like “hope” and “imagine” cascade down trunks of palmetto trees and encouraging phrases grace the walls and structures of surrounding homes with a more meditative brand of holiday luster.
One burns particularly bright for this wary Christmas, projected onto a stuccoed chimney that may well entice a certain jolly roof-hopper. Rawle recently observed a lively family spotting it, and falling silent in a moment of reflection.
It reads: “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
In a Year of Darkness, a Holiday Display in a Tiny Charleston Park Projects Hope →
The State
Amelia Gustafson wants you to know 2020 has been a hard year.
She misses her friends and her grandparents. She hasn’t seen her great-aunt in a long time because of the germs and the coronavirus.
Most of all, she misses going to school without a mask.
As she started to list another struggle, the light caught her eye.
Slowly and softly, like a flower bud beginning to bloom, the word “Hope” appeared on the trunk of a palmetto tree in downtown Charleston’s Theodora Park. Nine seconds later, it disappeared.
“You have to remember,” said 8-year-old Amelia, nodding toward the tree, ”have hope.”
Read moreTheodora Park's Inspirational Holiday light Display →
CHS Today
Pocket park (n.) – “a very small park or outdoor area for public leisure, especially an urban plaza or courtyard with benches and fountains.”
Charleston is home to many hidden treasures, and pocket parks are some of the best. Sitting near the corner of Anson + George Streets is Theodora Park – a vision created by Charlestonian David Rawle in Charleston’s historic Ansonborough neighborhood.
This “beautifully tranquil public garden,” as described by the New York Times, honors Rawle’s late mother Theodora C. Rawle – “a graceful and caring person who especially loved the beauty of nature and art.”
This holiday season, the pocket park is home to a special light display that will immerse visitors in a mini wonderland.
Small Downtown Park Hosting Innovative Holiday Lighting Display →
Holy City Sinner.com
Theodora Park, the small Ansonborough neighborhood park that combines nature with art, will be the home to a special lighting display this holiday season.
The display will include "laser-light ‘jewels’ that sparkle across the park’s pathways, planting, and fountain pool," strings of large multi-colored globe lights, and words of inspiration and hope projected on the park’s walls and trees.
Every evening throughout the holidays, visitors to Theodora Park can enjoy this celebration of the season. Theodora Park can be found at the corner of Anson & George Streets.
Throughout the year, the park has a number of other artistic features, including a wrought-iron gate designed and made by Charleston artisan and blacksmith Philip Simmons. The park has benches, tables and chairs, and a tranquil pool crafted with 370 handmade tiles designed by ceramic artist Paul Heroux.